Dealers are holding off on decisions to build new sites while they wait for the market to stabilise.According to an architect specialising in the auto-motive property market, dealers are continuing to go through the design and planning application stages, but are holding
off when it comes to the actual build.

The architect, who did not want to be named, said: “Dealers are watching and waiting to see what happens with the market and what the government does next year.

“Some clients have al-ready said that they won’t be building at all in 2009, but some have also said that they’ll be ready by quarter three next year.”

The architect said the next six months would continue to be challenging.

However, he said the current economic climate could also result in getting cheaper prices for property and construction.

He said: “Despite the economic downturn, some dealers might decide it’s the best time to go after contractors that are desperate for work. 

“It’s just like shares. If you buy when the price is at its lowest, the only way things can go is up.”